Creator Cameo: The film's co-screenwriter, Raymond Chandler, appears briefly in one scene.

Contrived Coincidence: Dietrichson just so happening to injure his leg (and subsequently failing to file a claim under the insurance policy he didn't know he had) is what leads to Keyes Spotting the Thread.Cigar Chomper: Keyes has a cigar in his mouth by the end of nearly every scene he is in.There is no single accomplice that she doesn't plan to eventually turn on. Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Phyllis.Chiaroscuro: A few scenes of Phyllis and Neff alone together, such as when Phyllis stays at Walter's apartment and when Walter confronts her in the Dietrichson living room.Chekhov's Gunman: Nino, who at first appears to be nothing more than an excuse for Walter to interact with Lola.

Black Widow: Phyllis is discovered to be this when Neff is told about how she was caught unfazed when her last husband had died in bed before marrying into the Dietrichson family.

Black-and-Gray Morality: The one pure character (Dietrichson's daughter) seems to be the story's The Woobie.

Battleaxe Nurse: Three guesses on who was the nurse taking care of the late first Mrs.

Also, Phyllis herself, considering how unpleasant her husband is.

While certainly loudmouthed and obnoxious, it's hinted that a great deal of what Phyllis tells Neff about him is exaggerated or made up in order to get him to go along with her plan.

Apocalyptic Log: Neff's Dictaphone recording, and his diary entries in the original novel.

Heck, you might even feel bad for Phyllis as her conscience/love for Neff catches up to her before she dies.

Alas, Poor Villain: Neff may have been a greedy murderer but his pitiful and tragic demise makes you feel so sorry for him.

Though he does call it off at the last minute and has a Heel Realization. This makes it easy to forget that he's a murderer who killed an innocent man for 'money and a woman' and even attempts to frame an innocent person for his crimes.

Affably Evil: Walter is a smooth-talking and charismatic insurance salesman and a very likable and sympathetic protagonist who acts like The Everyman.

Nirdlinger the latter choice was specifically because Chandler and Wilder thought that Nirdlinger was too silly a name for such a serious story.

Adaptation Name Change: Walter Neff was Walter Huff in the novel, and Mr.

When the film was in pre-production, it was Chandler's idea to make Keyes a lovably-passionate Sympathetic Inspector Antagonist, whereas in the novel, he doesn't have nearly as much characterization.

Double indemnity analysis